Chris Elsberry: Travelers champ had fun and won

Chris Elsberry

Updated 7:47 pm, Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Photo: Fred Beckham, Associated Press

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FILE - In this June 24, 2012, file photo, Marc Leishman, of Australia, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament in Cromwell, Conn. When Leishman heard about the rampage in Newtown, he went to a map to see how far the school was from the course where months earlier he picked up his first PGA Tour victory. Next month, when he returns to defend his title, he wants to help in the healing process. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham, File) less

FILE - In this June 24, 2012, file photo, Marc Leishman, of Australia, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament in Cromwell, Conn. When Leishman heard about the ... more

Photo: Fred Beckham, Associated Press

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 11: Marc Leishman of Australia plays a shot from the second tee during round three of THE PLAYERS Championship at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2013 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) less

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 11: Marc Leishman of Australia plays a shot from the second tee during round three of THE PLAYERS Championship at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2013 in Ponte ... more

Photo: Sam Greenwood, Getty Images

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 12: Marc Leishman of Australia plays a shot on the second hole during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 12, 2013 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) less

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 12: Marc Leishman of Australia plays a shot on the second hole during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 12, 2013 in ... more

Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images

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Marc Leishman, of Australia, hits from a bunker on the second hole during the third round of The Players championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Saturday, May 11, 2013, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) less

Marc Leishman, of Australia, hits from a bunker on the second hole during the third round of The Players championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Saturday, May 11, 2013, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP ... more

Photo: Chris O'Meara, Associated Press

Chris Elsberry: Travelers champ had fun and won

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CROMWELL -- Just go out and have fun.

As Marc Leishman prepared to play his final round in last year's Travelers Championship, his chances of winning were two -- slim and none. Trailing Brian Davis and Roland Thatcher by six -- count 'em, six -- shots, even a super-low number probably wasn't going to be enough. But that didn't mean that Leishman didn't want to post something super and let the chips fall where they may.

And that's just what he did. Tearing up the TPC Rivers Highlands course to the tune of eight birdies, Leishman posted a 62 to finish at 14-under par. When he finished at 3:39 p.m., the leaders were just getting to the back nine.

And he was still behind.

So, for the next couple of hours, Leishman relaxed on a couch in the clubhouse. He had something to eat, watching a little soccer, and never expected the players ahead of him to crash and burn like pilots meeting their doom at the hands of the Red Baron. But that's just what happened.

"I just threw the cards on the table, `Here you go boys, I posted this, that's what you've got to beat,'" Leishman said Tuesday, relaxing in the clubhouse of the Tournament Players Club. "When there's a number that's already on the board, that puts a bit more pressure in the people that are still on the course. When someone's in the clubhouse, they've got no more mistakes to make. I think I put some extra pressure on."

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Travelers early commitmentsWith six commitments on Tuesday, the Travelers Championship, to be played June 17-12 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, is shaping up with a nice player field:Keegan BradleyJason DufnerRickie FowlerPadraig HarringtonFredrik JacobsonZach JohnsonMarc LeishmanHunter MahanIan PoulterJustin RoseMichael ThompsonBubba WatsonLee Westwood

Apparently, the pressure applied by Leishman last season crushed Charlie Hoffman like a grape. Hoffman stood at the 17th tee with a comfortable two-shot lead. Just a couple of pars and the crystal trophy, and the $1.08 million winners' check, would be his. But that's when the golf gods decided to make Hoffman's final two holes a nightmare. He duck-hooked his drive into the lake and made double bogey. That two-shot lead was gone and just like that, Leishman was tied for the lead. Then, standing on 18, Hoffman clunked his drive onto the hill off to the right and put his approach into the bunker. His play from the sand left him at 17 feet.

He missed it. And watching from the couch, Leishman had won.

"It was a little bit strange but you take it however you can," Leishman said. "When you think about your first win, you're thinking about holing a 10-foot birdie putt or whatever, but at the end of the day, that one memory, that bit of glory, is something I still have. I didn't miss out on it. I made a 3-footer on the last, I just didn't know I won at the time."

One by one, the challengers faded away as Leishman watched on TV. James Driscoll hit out of bounds on 10 and 14 (that was a quadruple-bogey eight). He was done.

Davis hit into the water at 13 and both Bubba Watson and Thatcher found the lake at 15. See ya later. On 13, Tim Clark putted off the green for bogey and missed a two-footer on 17. Maybe next time. And Fredrik Jacobson got wet at 17. Bye bye.

That left Leishman. All alone at the top.

"If you're leading in the clubhouse, you always hang around, just in case," Leishman said. "I was close, but not that close. But when Charlie finished, it started to look like a great chance that I would pull it off."

Leishman blew through the front nine with birdies at 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 to make the turn in 30. Suddenly, that low number he wanted to post was within striking distance. What was he thinking?

"What I was thinking was, `I made five on the front, let's make five on the back.' That's what I tried to do," he said. "I didn't quite pull it off but ¦ really thought I had to birdie the last to have a good chance, didn't do it. But you never know. It just happened to be enough and it turned into a great day."

The mindset was simple. Hit the fairway, hit the green, make the putt. Leishman added birdies at 13, 14 and 17 to lead to 18, thinking birdie and 61. Par gave him 62. Then, all he could do was wait.

After turning professional in 2005, Leishman worked his way up the ladder by playing on the Australian Tour before heading to America to try his luck on the Nationwide Tour. He won the WNB Classic, finished 19th on the money list and earned his PGA Tour card for 2009. And thanks to three top-10 finishes, Leishman was named the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year.

Last month, Leishman played the Masters for the second time, holding the first-round lead with Sergio Garcia and heading into Sunday just two back of the leaders. He finished four back, tied with Tiger Woods.

"I was watching some of the replays of my shots on ESPN and it's kind of surreal," Leishman said. "To be leading after the first round was awesome. It was almost like I was watching someone else."